National Development Squad

News arrived earlier this week that the FFA might introduce a national team development squad to keep A-League players fresh between the end of the season and the start of the FIFA World Cup 2006.

The idea is to keep those players with World Cup aspirations involved with the league rather than have them wander off to Europe on short term loans when the transfer window opens early next year. It also aims to give those players a chance to remain fit and impress Guus Hiddink through friendly matches with A-League, state league and visiting international club teams.

The thought is most welcome to the likes of Simon Colosimo and Jade North, fringe national team players who will need every chance they can get to seize a spot on the plane to Germany. It also offers a great (and final) chance to discarded veterans like Kevin Muscat and Ned Zelic, as well as to younger hopefuls like Mark Milligan and Nick Ward. Without such a program in place, these players might find it very difficult to appear on Hiddink's long-range radar when the time arrives to select the final twenty-two players for the World Cup squad.

So, bravo to the FFA for identifying the problem early and coming up with a decent (though probably not decisive) strategy. It should be noted that players outside the A-League are seriously at a disadvantage under the proposed development scheme. Part-timers, lower-leaguers and other unheralded 'Aussies Abroad' will have to rely on positive performances for their respective club teams (and hope someone is watching), while non-A-Leaguers at home would probably need to mount a full scale nationwide publicity campaign to stand any chance of capturing the attention of the national team administrators! I'm sure that over the course of the next few months we'll hear a lot about the fringe players both old (Paul Okon?) and new (David Williams?) as each and every one of them throws down the gauntlet in some shape or form. Perhaps some of them will feature in a future post on this topic.

The question for fans and armchair observers is who would be picked in such a development squad? I'm sure many of you have already reached for pencil & paper and drafted up a provisional team of your own. Here's mine.

I've selected twenty-two players from the A-League in order to approximately shadow the full national team. Archie Thompson is likely to feature in Guus' plans and also the most likely to leave for a European team in January (if anyone wants him, and wants to regularly play him), so I haven't included him here. In assembling this hypothetical squad, I've aimed for a blend of experience and youth. Experienced players probably make the best one-for-one replacements in the case of injuries to important regulars, while the younger players deserve a chance to make a name for themselves and of course they apply pressure to make sure everyone else stays on their toes. So without further ado:

Goalkeepers:

Clint Bolton (Syndey FC)
Tom Willis (Queensland Roar)

Bolton is the surest of the more experienced 'keepers in the league. Daniel Beltrame is highly erratic, Jason Petkovic's form fluctuates from high to low every few weeks while John Crawley is currently injured and has pretty much lose his place to Danny Vukovic. If, in reality, we needed a replacement goalkeeper for Germany it'd have to be John Filan, Ante Covic or Michael Petkovic, with Brad Jones, Frank Juric and Bolton outside shots.

For the backup spot I went for Willis over Vukovic, Liam Reddy, Eugene Galekovic, Milosevic and the rest of the younger mob. Willis has anchored the Roar's exceptional defensive record by putting in consistent displays all season. Unless he can correct his kicking, however, he'll never make an appearance for Australia.

Defenders:

Kevin Muscat (Melbourne Victory)
Ned Zelic (Newcastle United Jets)
Jade North (Newcastle United Jets)
Michael Beauchamp (Central Coast Mariners)
Iain Fyfe (Sydney FC)
Chad Gibson (Queensland Roar)
Mark Milligan (Sydney FC)
Spase Dilevski (Queensland Roar)
Jacob Timpano (Sydney FC)
Adrian Leijer (Melbourne Victory)
Mark Byrnes (Melbourne Victory)
Alex Wilkinson (Central Coast Mariners)
David Tarka (Perth Glory)

This group emphasises Hiddink's preference for strength down the center. With our aging defence a real problem (dare I suggest that Tony Vidmar might not even make the finals) it's necessary to provide the coach with plenty of options. So this is a large group, and one that I couldn't bring myself to diminish.

Muscat and Zelic have put their hands up and expressed their desire to resume a national team career. Each has plenty to offer, but perhaps more in terms of a development scenario such as this one rather than out on the pitch in Germany. Beauchamp and Fyfe have already experienced a camp under Guus; he knows what they're about and will be keeping an eye on them throughout the rest of the season. Beauchamp is a rugged and at times lethal defender who it's nice to imagine wrecking carnage on someone like Lukas Podolski. His chances must be very good. There's also a spot for his Mariners teammate Alex Wilkinson, who is exceptionally steady but does little to stamp his authority on a match. Fyfe has come good in the past couple of weeks now that he's teamed up with Jacob Timpano, who has always shown great promise throughout his short career.

Gibson has made a great impression on the league, from the pre-season advertising campaign to marshalling the Roar defence with aplomb. He's probably a touch old now for a real shot at a permanent call-up, but as such he offers an intriguing middle-ground between the has-beens and the young-guns. He's also a top athelete, which as we all know Guus admires above all else. For his age, Byrnes is very experienced and he's suited to the extreme mobility of Dutch-style football, but he needs to find some form. Irritatingly not he is not the player that once commanded the backline of our greatest ever U-17s. Meanwhile, Leijer has quietly snuck up on Byrnes and stolen his position in the central defensive hierarchy at Melbourne. He has been magnificent to date and if he continues to improve he certainly looks like a mainstay in the future. Finally, someone from left-field is Perth Glory's David Tarka. He has all the potential and hopefully we'll get to see him before the end of the campaign (he's in the Glory squad at last for this weekend).

North, Milligan and Dilevski provide the wingback depth. While he's been on the fringe of the national set-up for some time, North has been nothing more than a quiet achiever so far this season and will probably need to do something more to warrant serious consideration. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Milligan's. Even though he's yet to play a game this year due to injury, I'm sure he'll make a big impression with the time remaining. Like Byrnes, Dilevski is already quite experienced with an Olympics campaign and a stint overseas under his belt. Unfortunately, all three are right-sided players. The left side of defence is a weakness in terms of Australian players in the local competition. Alvin Ceccoli and Scott Miller are probably too old to be of much use to this squad, while Dean Heffernan, Adam Van Dommele and Simon Storey probably lack the talent. This explains why I haven't included any practicing left-sided players in the group, although Byrnes, Muscat and perhaps Dilevski can play there if necessary. Thankfully the national set-up still includes Stan Lazaridis as backup to Scott Chipperfield, with Shane Cansdell-Sheriff from AGF Aarhus as another candidate for the position.

Why no Michael Valkanis? Without a doubt he's been one of the best defenders in the league, but unlike Muscat and Zelic he hasn't been thoroughly tested at a high international level so the inclusion of another veteran just seemed counter productive.

Midfielders:

Simon Colosimo (Perth Glory)
Steve Corica (Sydney FC)
Angelo Costanzo (Adelaide United)
Nick Carle (Newcastle United Jets)
David Carney (Sydney FC)
Nick Ward (Perth Glory)

A pair of holding players top this list, which is relatively small given the current abundance of talent in midfield for the national squad. Colosimo and Costanzo are adept backups for Vince Grella. While his form hasn't been super, Colosimo is another player right on the verge of national selection, with his adaptability across the backend a big advantage. Costanzo also offers yet another option defensively. The last couple of games he's slotted into the central defence and looked as comfortable as always. The third experienced midfielder in the mix is Steve Corica. Although he's getting on a bit, he's still got the legs and remains a gifted creator. Like the veteran defenders, he's still got a lot to offer in terms of inspiring the younger brigade. At 35 now, Carl Veart's form in midfield for Adelaide is something to behold. He wouldn't be out of place here, but there's no realistic chance he'll make a dynamic return to international football. Similarly, teammate Ross Aloisi and Newcastle's Richard Johnson are beyond their peak.

Carle, Carney and Ward are the pick of the lively attacking midfielders in the competition. Carle's unique gifts require some harnessing, but all the potential for greatness is there. Carney's ability to play on either flank is a virtue, but unless purhsed further forward he may find it difficult adapting to the defensive responsibilities required by Hiddink's wide players. Ward is a bit of a bolter. A top shelf athelete, he impressed at the World Youth Championships earlier this year even though playing out of position. Melbourne's Kristian Sarkies, Newcastle's Stuart Musialik and Perth's Billy Celeski are other contenders, but none has the look of an effectual overage player at the moment. Zenon Caravella is a bit of a wild card whose chances are derailed by unproductive club factors at the Knights. Adelaide's Travis Dodd and Newcastle's Matt Thompson are intriguing outsiders, while Queensland's Massimo Murdocca and Matt McKay haven't done enough to convince they can perform at a higher level.

Forwards:

Ante Milicic (Newcastle United Jets)
Sasho Petrovski (Sydney FC)
Alex Brosque (Queensland Roar)
Tom Pondeljak (Central Coast Mariners)

What, no Bobby Despotovski, Daniel Allsopp, David Zdrilic or Damian Mori? As good as those guys are, or have been, various reasons preclude them. Bobby isn't the type of dynamic forward Guus admires. He'a a deadly finisher who disappears from matches for lengthy periods. Allsopp is currently unproductive, lacking confidence and has never played at a very high level. At his best, Zdrilic is a talented striker, but injuries and a battle for fitness have made him look very ordinary. For much the same reason's as Veart, there doesn't seem to be much point in involving Mori at the expense of younger talent. Outside football work commitments might exclude him in any case.

Milicic isn't young but he's always been the most fleet footed and skillful of the more experienced domestic striking legion. What's more, he's proved himself in relatively recent internationals. Petrovski is admired by Guus, who probably likes his work ethic, occasional flair and ability to make things happen. Brosque isn't really an outright striker, but he'd make a wonderful contribution on the left (Kewell's) side of Hiddink's forward three. Pondeljak is a marvel who has astonishingly earned just four caps for Australia. In terms of keeping possession, decision making and one-touch football, few in the league can match him.

Okay, okay so that's twenty-five players in total: keeping it down to twenty-two isn't all that important but if push came to shove I'd probably remove Byrnes, Wilkinson and Costanzo. The significant asymmetry in favour of the defence is absolutely imperative, one would think, given our problems in that department. It would probably create a few selection headaches with friendly lineups (defenders in constant rotation, while forwards almost always the same), but the simple solution is to have a few people playing out of position. Hiddink has already played former NSL attacking midfield star Chipperfield as a stopper against Uruguay, proving the importance and possibilities of adaptability!